LIVER RENDANG - RENDANG DE FOIE

Inspiration is wonderful when it happens, but the writer must develop an approach for the rest of the time... The wait is simply too long.
- Leonard Bernstein

One of the most challenging things about having a blog is being able to constantly find enough inspiration to feed it, no matter the circumstances. This task is particularly difficult when your present life is unsatisfactory, terrifyingly monotonous and your intellect doesn’t receive sufficient input from the soul or stimulation from its surroundings in order to be at the maximum of its resourcefulness.

That feeling of hitting a creative rock bottom is discouraging. It undermines my confidence and drives me crazy. Sometimes I desperatly stare at a blank page for hours without end, my brain refuses to work and is empty like a dry sponge, no recipe seems to be good enough to mention, I have the impression that my photography "skills" let me down and I end up surfing relentlessly on the net so as not to face the bleak reality and failure to be productive. On such days being a blogger is a real curse and you wonder why you are putting yourself through so much trouble when this activity, just like any job, takes all your precious time, yet it does not pay your rent, let alone your dinner. I must confess that in such moments I am tempted to let it all go, throw the towel, chuck my computer out of the window and say "f**k it all"!

You see, unlike a majority of people, I am careerless as I never found my true calling or had any parental support in order to develop myself in this field (well, I’d love to have  a delicatessen or be a contributor to a magazine, but I lack money or the papers to carry those dreams out), my CV has holes and is a disaster, I have been unemployed since years and unsuccessful at finding a job, so I entirely depend on my boyfriend (I am not entitled to unemployment benefits as my last job lasted less than a year and I live in a couple, so I get no reinsertion support and I am out of the picture - I have been told that there was no need for me to report to the unemployment office) who is far from being a rich man, thus my future as an active person is extremely foggy and I have dropped all hopes of finding my place in this unforgiving, discriminating, competitive as well as superficial society who is not interested in our true values (we are all just numbers) and offers no second chance to "irrecuperable losers" or dropouts like me. Once you have blown it, you are seriously in trouble.

It is quite a dark and degrading place to be, and consequently, I occasionally feel low down and suffer mood swings. My existence is repetitive and not exhalirating at all as I am quite lonely (very few friends and no family), don’t do much apart from cooking, writing articles, shooting photos, listening to music, watching movies, reading magazines/books and being online. I rarely step out of my apartement or leave my village. Everything I undertake is limited by the absence of resources so I never have the possibility to experience much in terms of travelling, going out or attending social events. Yet, I’m a fighter and firmly believe that it will once be my turn to be happy for a while and to have luck.

These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep, loving concern.
Beautiful people do not just happen.
- Elizabeth Kübler-Ross

What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.
- Oscar Wilde

My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.
- Henry Rollins

Meanwhile, Rosa’s Yummy Yums gives me courage, hope for a better tomorrow and a reason to get up in the morning, brings me self-esteem, gets me through rough patches, helps me stay in contact with the outside world (how paradoxal is that?) and makes me dream. Therefore, even if I get tired of it I never forget those details and try not to take my work for granted. Let’s not foget that thanks to my blog I have met a bunch of wonderful folks/fellow bloggers, grown up a lot in the past 6 years, developped my passion for cooking as well as discovered a strong interest for writing and picture-taking.

Nowadays, I am proud of whom I have evolved into and accept my situation philosophically. My austere lifetsyle has even become a source of stimulus. For example, in spite of having had no idea regarding what to share with you in today's post, I nonetheless put together an entertaining article and came up with a titillating recipe.

I am a foodie and writer who lives on a tightrope, but I’m totally comfortable with that fact, because I know that what I create is unique and doesn’t carry the stigmatas of my brokedome. Despite that, I am a wizard at transforming humble produces into refined dishes and an expert at finding subjects to talk about eventhough not much is happening around me. Having learnt to do more with less, quick-wittedness and inventiveness are my middle names.

Last week, for instance, I craved "Daging Rendang" (one of the most popular specialities in Indonesia together with "Nasi Goreng"), but as our limited budget doesn't allow us to buy superior meat cuts (in Switzerland meat is dear and even lower cuts are quite expensive), I opted for pork liver, one of the cheapest and most nutritive offals on the market.

The best thing about liver is how virtuous it makes you feel after you've eaten some.
- Bruce Jay Friedman, ‘The Lonely Guy Cookbook’ (1976)

Did you know that apart from being delectable, liver is exceptionally beneficial for our well-being as it is fairly low in calories, provides substantial amounts of vitamins (one slice covers 100% of your daily vitamin intake) and is rich in proteins as well as minerals (it contains 6x more iron than meat)? Apart from being a fantastic remedy against anemia, it is also perfect for reducing the levels of homocysteine in the blood as it contains large quantities of vitamins B12, B6, and folate, and as a result, in improving cardiovascular health and decreasing your risk of having a heart attack. No wonder that in the past this superfood was only served to warriors and to hunter!

As you can see, although I cook in a low-costly manner, it doesn’t mean that our plate’s contents are unhealthy or unpalatable. Contrarily to common belief, spending loads of cash on food is not a guarantee of quality. It is the cook who makes the difference as it is he/she who carefully chooses the goods and who transforms them according to his/her knowledge and ingenuity…

This curry was like a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony that I'd once heard.....especially the last movement, with everything screaming and banging 'Joy.' It stunned, it made one fear great art. My father could say nothing after the meal.
- Anthony Burgess

I found the basic Rendang recipe on Rasa Malaysia and adapted it according to my taste. The beef was replaced by pork liver and for a rounder flavor, I substituted fish sauce for salt (I cannot live without this amazing condiment) and incorporated turmeric as well as shrimp paste to the dish. The sauce was left to simmer longer than indicated and as a result, my "Liver Rendang" was extremely pungent, sumptuous and round. This creamy, seductively spicy, slightly sweet, gently piquant and complexly tasting curry suffused with the intoxicating aromas of coconut and fragrant herbs is so luscious and quirky that you'll want to take seconds and thirds!
 

~ Liver Rendang ~

Recipe adapted from Bee Yin Low's "Rendang Daging" recipe found on Rasa Malaysia.

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients For The "Spice Paste":

5 Shallots
1 Inch (~3cm) Knob Fresh Galangal
3 Sticks Lemongrass (white part only)
5 Cloves garlic
1 Inch (~3cm) Know Fresh Ginger
1-2 Tsps Sambal Oelek
Ingredients For The "Rendang":
1 1/4 Pound Liver, cut into thickish strips
5 Tbs Peanut oil
1 Cinnamon stick, about 2-inches (6cm) long
3 Cloves
3 Star anise
3 Cardamom pods
1 Tsp Turmeric
1 Sticks Lemongrass, chopped and pounded in a mortar
1 Cup Thick Coconut Milk
1 Cup Water
2 Tsp Tamarind paste
1/3 Tsp Shrimp paste
6 Fresh Kaffir Lime Leaves, very finely sliced
6 Tbs Toasted Coconut
1 Tbs Brown sugar/palm sugar
Fish sauce, to taste

Method For The "Spice Paste":
1. Chop the spice paste ingredients and then blend them in a food processor until fine.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or stew pot, add the spice paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom and curcuma. Stir-fry them for about 1 minutes or until aromatic.
3. Add the pounded lemongrass and stir-fry for another 1 minute.
4. Add the coconut milk, water, tamarind paste, shrimp paste, water, and simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently for about 20 minutes.
5. Stir the kaffir lime leaves, toasted coconut, sugar/palm sugar and a little fish sauce into the sauce.

6. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and let simmer for 2 1/2 hours or until the sauce has "dried up" (stir often and make sure to scrape the bottom of the wok and add more water if it dries too quickly).
7. A few minutes before serving, place a frying pan over high heat and then stir-fry the strips of liver for 2 minutes in a little oil (the liver should still be pink in the middle.
8. Add the liver to the sauce and more fish sauce, to taste. Turn off the heat.
9. Serve immediately.
 
Comments:
For this recipe, I used pork liver, but you can also use beef liver, kidneys or even heart(s).
Rendang tastes even better when reheated.

Serving suggestions: 
Serve with steamed jasmine rice and slices of cucumbers.
Wine suggestions: Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürtzramminer or a dry Rosé.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Rendang De Foie ~
Recette adaptée du blog Rasa Malaysia.

Pour 3-4 personnes.

Ingrédients Pour La "Pâte Epicée":
5 Echalottes
~ 3cm de Galanga frais
3 Bâtonnets de citronnelle (partie blanche seulement)
5 Gousses d'ail 
~3cm de Gingembre frais
1-2 CC de Sambal oelek
Ingrédients Pour le "Rendang":
~650g de foie, coupé en lanières assez épaisses
5 CS d'Huile d'arachide
1 Bâton de cannelle, d'environ 6cm de long
3 Clous de girofle
3 Fleurs d'anis étoilé (badiane chinoise)
3 Gousses de cardamome
1 CC de Curcuma
1 Bâtonnets de citronnelle, hachés et pilés au mortier
400ml de Lait de coco épais
240ml d'Eau
2 CC de Purée de tamarin
1 / 3 de CC de Pâte de crevettes
6 Feuilles de kaffir fraîches, très finement émincées
6 CS de Noix de coco, râpée et grillée
1 CS de Cassonade ou de sucre de palme
Sauce de poisson, selon goût

Méthode:
1. Hacher les ingrédients pour la pâte épicée puis les broyer au mixer afin d'obtenir une purée fine.
2. Dans un wok ou un cassoton, faire chauffer l'huile et ajouter la pâte d'épices, la cannelle, les clous de girofle, l'anis étoilé, la cardamome et le curcuma. Laisser frémir, tout en remuant, pour que la pâte développe ses arômes.
3. Ajouter la citronnelle pilée et la faire sauter pendant 1 minute.
4. Ajouter le lait de coco, l'eau, la pâte de tamarin, la pâte de crevettes et laisser mijoter à feu moyen, tout en remuant fréquemment, pendant environ 20 minutes.
5. Incorporer les feuilles de kaffir, la noix de coco grillée, la cassonade et un peu de sauce de poisson.

6. Baisser le feu, fermer avec un couvercle et laisser mijoter pendant 2 1/2 heures ou jusqu'à ce que la sauce soit très épaisse/sèche (remuer souvent et racler le fond du wok - ajouter plus d'eau si la sauce est devient sèche trop vite) .
7. Quelques minutes avant de servir, chauffer une poêle à feu vif puis faire sauter les lanières de foie pendant 2 minutes dans un peu d'huile (le foie doit être encore rosé à coeur).
8. Incorporer le foie à la sauce et ajouter un peu de sauce de poisson, selon goût. Eteindre le feu.
9. Servir immédiatement.

Remarques:
J'ai préparé mon curry avec du foie de porc, mais on peu tout aussi bien utiliser du foie de boeuf, des rognons ou du/des coeur(s).
Ce plat est encore meilleur réchauffé.

Idées de présentation:
Servir le Rendang avec du riz parfumé cuit à la vapeur et des tranches de concombre.
Vin: Sauvignon blanc, Gewürtzramminer ou rosé sec.